Blog Post 3

The topic from todays discussion that stuck with me the most was the debate whether empathy was innate or learned. I personally believe that empathy is something learned and uncovered from a hidden area of your subconcious, but not in the sense someone teaches you what empathy is and how to feel it. I think it is self taught through experiences. When I feel pain I now realize that is uncomfortable. The more I understand pain, the more I learn about that area of empathy. This continues to a point where you realize what causes others pain, and having experienced pain and disliked it I know feel empathetic towards the person feeling pain, as I know that it sucks, and no one likes it. When I see someone in pain it reminds myself of pain and I dont want that, and seeing them in the situation I have come to dislike makes me think they feel the same, and therefore I feel bad. However, this then means that the idea, but solely the rooting idea, of empathy is therefore innate, but not knowing how to feel it or portray it. However it isn't fully innate we have to learn other things to unlock that feeling of empathy. I think empathy stems from something selfish. We see someone in a situation and say I would hate that, that would be unappealing, and therefore we infer other people feel the same as us. We feel bad for them, just because we don't want that happening to ourself.

Blog Post 2

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth." (Marcus Aurelius, Roman leader, philosopher, Stoic).

I believe in this quote Marcus Aurelius is saying that everyone sees everything different. In this case there is no universality because not one person sees something the same as the next. If everything everyone sees is different there is no truth, and with no truth there is no basis for fact. Therefore, what one person says is just their thought, their view, their opinion. to you it is nothing but that, because what you perceive is completely different. What each individual sees is their own world, their unique perspective and therefore, nothing is truly as we see it. The cliche example of this is colors. My blue may be your black and so on. This concept is extremely hard to understand on a larger scale, because it rips apart reality. I believe parts of that. I believe there is a basis of truth. A main group of "real things" that everyone perceives the same, but after that everything for everyone is different.  

Personal Satement

I believe that every person has the ability to create their own purpose in their life. For me I feel like I have been mislead in a way, and have created my entire life, and therefore purpose around sports.  I feel this way because every second I spend outside of school is spent on a sports field, be it soccer or baseball.  I’ve come to realize that I’m being “falsely represented” in a way due to the need to please my parents, especially my father. My dad and I have always bonded over sports, and therefore it has played a major role in me life.  Sports are who I am currently today and will always be, as I fell in love with every game I’ve ever been lucky enough to play. However, the reason I feel misrepresented in a way is because the sports have never truly been for me. My sports are a more accurate representation of my dad’s wants than mine.

I feel every person should be doing things for themselves rather than anyone else (which I have not been). This doesn’t mean be selfish and never do anything to help another, but in the end you are the only one that is truly stuck with yourself. Therefore, why not do what makes you happy. I look forward to college because I see it as a way to express myself in ways I want, rather than what my parents want. I see it as an opportunity to really find my “purpose” and what really defines me as me. Coming form where we do, many of us are shielded for true self-exploration, because our parents push us into what is “normal”. I feel many kids our age, especially from areas such as Manhattan Beach, have a lot to find out about themselves. Including discovering ones own purpose.

Unlike many people I believe we are here for no particular reason, with no certainty or known ending. I believe once you die, you just cease to exist, the only thing left is your legacy, hence the purpose you created for yourself. I encourage everyone to look at their life and see if they are actually following their own purpose, or if they are following a path set by someone else, which has blinded them from what they truly are.